Bernard “Bob” Barlow joined the U.S. Air Force because his father was a veteran, his uncle was a veteran, and his grandfather was a veteran. Growing up in a military family, service, discipline, and accountability were daily expectations. He served in the Massachusetts Air National Guard and was deployed to Iraq as part of a combat communications squadron, responsible for setting up critical infrastructure for military communications.
The hardest part of transitioning to civilian life was losing the clarity of mission and structure the military provides. In service, every day had purpose, every role was defined, and the path was clear. Civilian life required rebuilding that framework from scratch. At MBA Mortgage, which he founded in 2005, he set out to recreate that sense of mission, anchored in service, accountability, and community.
That foundation shaped how he leads at MBA Mortgage. The company has expanded operations across Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island, with several loan officers being military members themselves. In the military, Barlow learned to lead with integrity, stay accountable, and never ask others to do what he wouldn’t do himself. Those values are the backbone of how MBA Mortgage operates.
In 2015, Barlow suffered a life-altering diving accident that left him paralyzed. Despite this, he remained actively involved in leading MBA Mortgage and supporting veteran causes. His volunteer work with disabled veterans earned him an active role in the Disabled American Veterans of Massachusetts, and he was awarded Disabled Veteran of the Year in 2019 for his extraordinary service to veterans and their families while overcoming significant personal injury.
